Friday, December 21, 2012

Week 16 Starters & Benchwarmers

Wondering whether or not to start
Adrian Peterson and Andre Johnson, or to bench Christian Ponder and Kevin
Ogletree?The network bozos specialize
in that kind of advice. If you’re looking for help with your real starting lineup conundrums, read on.

It’s championship time!Here are my picks to roll, and get rolled, in
Week 16 of the 2012 season.

Watch ‘em roll

Tony Romo, QB,
Cowboys vs. Saints.Don’t be scared off
by the Saints’ shutout of the Bucs last week.That was an aberration.Romo has
been putting up consistently solid, if not stellar, numbers during the Cowboys’
late-season roll.Dez Bryant’s finger is
holding up just fine, and New Orleans’ pass defense remains one of the most
vulnerable in the land.

Vick Ballard,
RB, Colts at Chiefs. Though he has accumulated only two touchdowns all season,
Ballard has firmly established himself as the workhorse of the Indy backfield.Following a solid 105-yard outing against the
Texans, the rookie is an excellent flex play against a Chiefs defense that
coughed up more yardage to both Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson than either
has accumulated in a game all season.

LeSean McCoy,
RB, Eagles vs. Redskins.McCoy is
expected to return to his starting role now that he is fully recovered from his
concussion.Though Bryce Brown will notch
some carries, the rookie has a well-documented case of fumblitis that should
limit his workload.McCoy carries risk,
but the upside is too great to leave on your bench.

Danny Amendola,
WR, Rams at Buccaneers.Though still
fighting through a nagging foot injury, Amendola is a must-start Sunday after
his impressive rebound performance in Week 15.No secondary is more generous to opposing receivers than Tampa Bay’s.

Brandon Lloyd, WR, Patriots at
Jaguars.The veteran virtually
disappeared for most of November, but his two best performances of the season
have come this month; against some pretty stingy defenses, at that.Lloyd is a good bet to maintain his momentum when
he faces off with one of the NFL’s most hospitable secondaries.

Russell Wilson,
QB, Seahawks vs. 49ers.Few quarterbacks
are hotter than Wilson right now, but his primetime tilt with the formidable
49ers defense should give you pause.Wilson’s worst game of the season (122 passing yards, no TDs) came in
Week 7 in San Francisco.While he should
top those figures, he’s unlikely to produce a fantasy bounty.

BenJarvus
Green-Ellis, RB, Bengals at Steelers.The Law Firm probably played a key role in getting you this far; but
just as your stakes get higher, Green-Ellis’ road gets bumpier.He only managed 69 yards in his first matchup
with the Steelers, and you can bet they’ll make the Bengals’ workhorse fight
for every yard again.

DeAngelo Williams,
RB, Panthers vs. Raiders.Just when he
sucks you into believing you can trust him, Williams inevitably puts up a
stinker to remind you why you’ve benched (or even released) him more often than
not.Despite riding a solid two-game
surge, Williams should be reserved against an Oakland defense that just held
Jamaal Charles to 28 combined yards last Sunday.

Danario Alexander,
WR, Chargers at Jets.I wouldn’t put it
past Alexander to have a solid rebound after his no-catch meltdown in Week
15.That said, I also wouldn’t be
surprised if the Jets’ Antonio Cromartie puts the clamps down on him
again.While there’s upside here, the
risks are just as real.

Sidney Rice, WR,
Seahawks vs. 49ers.Unlike his
quarterback, Rice has been decidedly mediocre over the past two weeks, against
favorable competition.The 49ers pose a
much stiffer challenge this weekend.Don’t expect much better than the two receptions for 32 yards he posted
against them in Week 7.

Brandon Gibson,
WR, Rams at Buccaneers.Even with
Amendola back in the lineup, Gibson has seen plenty of targets from Sam
Bradford.In this ultra-favorable aerial
matchup, there’s room for both wideouts to soar.Rookie Chris Givens remains a legitimate
long-ball threat, but Gibson is a steadier option with a nose for the end zone.

DON’T BE THE BONEHEAD WHO…overlooks the Saturday night matchup.There’s no Thursday nighter, but the Falcons
are squaring off with the Lions a day earlier than normal.This is no time to lose focus!

Welcome home, Fools!

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About the Chief Fool

Ladd Biro was named 2010 "Football Writer of the Year" by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association -- the most prestigious recognition in the biz. In 2011, he won again -- the only two-time winner in the FSWA's history. He also won for "Best Humor Column of 2011," across all sports. He was a finalist for the FFWOY Award again in 2013 and 2014, but was denied the threepeat in the kind of bribery/shakedown/ payola scandal more commonly associated with FIFA. Ladd's nationally syndicated columns have appeared in more than 20 publications -- including the Dallas Morning News, San Francisco Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Chicago Sun-Times and Sporting News magazine -- since 2003. Since 2009, all his written fantasy content can be found on the Fantasy Fools blog.